More RT-AX58U woes

[warpc0re]

Question - Merlin firmware - Is there anyway to determine which version of the ASUS firmware was used to build the Merlin firmware?

I have an AX58U which crashes on some versions of both ASUS and Merlin firmware. A replacement router from ASUS has the same problem. Router is flawless on Merlin 384.19 & now the latest ASUS (RT-AX58U_3.0.0.4_386_43406-g99010d8_cferom_puresqubi.w) firmware. On all other "386" firmware versions that I have tried the router crashes in less than an hour.

My experiences with this model are *very* similar. It's pretty solid on 384.19 (see uptime below), but on all the other 386.X firmwares I've tried, it will intermittently crash + reboot on its own. Did you find any stock 386 firmwares that were stable for you? If so, which specific version?

$ ssh admin@10.10.10.1
admin@10.10.10.1's password:


ASUSWRT-Merlin RT-AX58U 384.19_0 Fri Aug 14 19:19:17 UTC 2020
admin@RT-AX3000-AAB8:/tmp/home/root# uptime
14:47:11 up 105 days, 18:24, load average: 0.38, 0.46, 0.51

 

[Deleted member 22229]

You must have a bad unit. I ran Merlin's latest beta 4 had up time of over 30 days not one issue what so ever. Think its something in our environment or bad setting maybe a faulty unit.

 

[warpc0re]

I actually have three RT-AX3000 units that all exhibit this same behavior. I wouldn't suspect all three are simultaneously faulty. It definitely could be environmental though. Some similarity in the lan environment that's not obvious....


unit 1 (main router)
$ ssh admin@10.10.10.1
admin@10.10.10.1's password:


ASUSWRT-Merlin RT-AX58U 384.19_0 Fri Aug 14 19:19:17 UTC 2020
admin@RT-AX3000-AAB8:/tmp/home/root# uptime
15:59:40 up 105 days, 19:37, load average: 0.43, 0.50, 0.53
admin@RT-AX3000-AAB8:/tmp/home/root# exit
Connection to 10.10.10.1 closed.

unit 2 (configured as an ap)
$ ssh admin@10.10.10.253
admin@10.10.10.253's password:


ASUSWRT-Merlin RT-AX58U 384.19_0 Fri Aug 14 19:19:17 UTC 2020
admin@RT-AX3000-6430:/tmp/home/root# uptime
15:59:49 up 105 days, 19:39, load average: 0.46, 0.44, 0.44
admin@RT-AX3000-6430:/tmp/home/root# exit
Connection to 10.10.10.253 closed.

unit 3 (configured as an ap)
$ ssh admin@10.10.10.254
admin@10.10.10.254's password:


ASUSWRT-Merlin RT-AX58U 384.19_0 Fri Aug 14 19:19:17 UTC 2020
admin@RT-AX3000-6420:/tmp/home/root# uptime
15:59:57 up 105 days, 19:39, load average: 0.61, 0.59, 0.55

 

[Bill D.]

My AX58U runs fine on ASUS firmware 3.0.0.4.386_43588 no crashes. Upgraded to RT_AX58U_300438645898.w(ASUS) and ash RT-AX58U_386.4_beta2_cferom_puresqubi.w(MERLIN), both crashed several times in an hour+. Back to 3.0.0.4.386_43588 and no crashes.

 

[Bill D.]

I do not take Psychedelic Drugs! My AX58u is prone to crash was RMA'd new one has same prob.

Asus ver 3.0.0.4.386_43588 works well no crashes. Couple of days past the router crashed, looked at the firmware it was now 3.0.0.4.386.45898.

Router is NOT set to autoupdate - auto firmware is OFF, I did not upgrade. Reloaded 3.0.0.4.386_43588, all looked ok, but then some time later router crashed again. You guessed it, firmware was back to 3.0.0.4.386.45898.

Reloaded 3.0.0.4.386_43588 and went to bed. Next day the router was running 3.0.0.4.386_47029 which is the latest ASUS version, the web site notes: Due to core software module upgrade, if you wanna to upgrade to this version, please must update your router to 3.0.0.4.386.45898 first.

The good news is that the latest ASUS version 3.0.0.4.386_47029 has been running fine for 1 day and 13 hours.

 

[L&LD]

That's what everyone says who takes Psychedelic Drugs!

Hope that version 3.0.0.4.386_47029 continues to work well for you.

 

[JWoo]

Hopefully Asus will either terminate this router or update it to address all the bugs. In other news, RT-AX58U named wurst router of 2021!

 

[serialtoon]

So its Jan 2022, and im still, seemingly at random, getting random lock ups or reboots. Currently running the latest ASUS Merlin 386.4. At this point i want to upgrade to something better that is more reliable than this unit. Is there a common thread on BCM used on this unit vs others? I ask because i want to stick with ASUS with something like the AX86U but would like to avoid these issues obviously. Ive never used a TP-Link device but im not opposed to them unless they are also having similar issues as evident by Amazon reviews.

 

[underdose]

I have been happily using an AX58U for more than a year and had no problem with it hardware-wise. No random reboots, no problem with the radios, great coverage, and still running smooth regardless of anything I throw at it.

I guess I’m one of the few lucky ones.

 

[Bill D.]

So its Jan 2022, and im still, seemingly at random, getting random lock ups or reboots. Currently running the latest ASUS Merlin 386.4. At this point i want to upgrade to something better that is more reliable than this unit. Is there a common thread on BCM used on this unit vs others? I ask because i want to stick with ASUS with something like the AX86U but would like to avoid these issues obviously. Ive never used a TP-Link device but im not opposed to them unless they are also having similar issues as evident by Amazon reviews.

I've had similar problems and have found that my unit is firmware fussey. Try ASUS version 3.0.0.4.386_47029 has been running fine for me for 8 days +. If that does not work, try going back a version at a time, hopefully you find one that works. No offense to Merlin however I would stick with ASUS firmware for testing.

 

[BuhBuhRay]

I guess I must be another lucky one. Bought a AX58U last december to use it for the "internet" part of our Bell Fibe 500 service. The Bell HH2000 router/modem is used only for the TV and phone services, and the AX58U for all internet connections. I also have a AC68U and a RP-AX56 hardwired to it as mesh nodes. Everything is stable and running smoothly, with Diversion and Skynet installed. I'm still on Merlin 386.3.2 however, I'm hesitating to upgrade to 386.4 for now.

 

[cptnoblivious]

I've had mine for over a year and it seems to be running well. Now on 386.4 (previously 386.2_6 and others).

Having said that, if there are QC issues, this is exactly what you'd expect. Some work fine, other have ongoing issues.

 

[Eric Lieb]

I just returned by AX58u and got the AX82 (was the only other asus router bestbuy had on the shelf). Night and day the AX82 has been a better experience than the AX58.

 

[Tech9]

AX58U and AX82U share the same hardware with the same FCC ID. AX82U has RGB, 2x radio streams unlocked and perhaps better firmware.

 

[Eric Lieb]

AX58U and AX82U share the same hardware with the same FCC ID. AX82U has RGB, 2x radio streams unlocked and perhaps better firmware.

No idea where this keeps coming from but it isn't exactly true. The reason they have the same FCC ID is because they were listed under the same FCC application and were bundled when testing, but the AX82 and AX58 specifically were each individually evaluated, and they have independent FCC certificate numbers. In the RF test report it clearly states that Sku 2 (AX82U,AX5400) and Sku 3 (TUF-AX3000) are the same, while SKU 1 (RT-AX58U,RT-AX3000) is not. They can't be the same FCC wise because one is 2TX on the 5GHz band while the other is 4TX/4RX. Also FCC doesn't evaluate any other hardware except for stuff that transmits in the EM spectrum.

 

[Tech9]

No idea where this keeps coming from but it isn't exactly true.

The PCB's inside are the same with small differences for specific product application. AX58U is software limited.

AX58U basic model:

AX82U gaming model with RGB LED's:

 

[Eric Lieb]

Do you have proof the ax58 is software limited and not cut on the die or pcb?

 

[Tech9]

Yes, and it's possible to unlock, but we are not allowed to discuss this here on SNB. Similar router duo is RT-AC86U and GT-AC2900. It's possible to unlock 160MHz wide channel on AC86U, the SoC supports it obviously. You have to search elsewhere for more information. It is technical and not recommended in general. Asus makes sure differently marketed products are properly locked. There are more Asus routers with the same PCB's.

 

[Eric Lieb]

Yes, and it's possible to unlock, but we are not allowed to discuss this here on SNB. Similar router duo is RT-AC86U and GT-AC2900. It's possible to unlock 160MHz wide channel on AC86U, the SoC supports it obviously. You have to search elsewhere for more information. It is technical and not recommended in general. Asus makes sure differently marketed products are properly locked. There are more Asus routers with the same PCB's.

Getting off topic so this is my last post about it but you may want to do more research because that is assuming the ac58/ac3000 is the same as the tuf-ac3000, which the fcc cert says it isn't, the tuf-3000 is the same as the ac82u. Found the post you are referring to (there are multiple on snb alone) and they are all about unlocking the tuf-ax3000, not the ax58/rt-ax3000.

 

[Tech9]

Night and day the AX82 has been a better experience than the AX58.

Forget about what's inside and what is possible. The fact you are happy with AX82U is important. Happy networking and enjoy the RGB!